Hokuto Shinken
( Big Dipper God Fist) is an ancient Chinese martial art, dating back 1,800 years from China. It is notably the martial art that defines the protagonists of the Hokuto no Ken series, who are its heir to the school's succession. "Hokuto Shin Ken" is named after the asterism Hokuto Shichi Sei, which is the Japanese name as the Big Dipper. Kenshirō states that it is the incarnation of Indra when fighting Devil Rebirth. History Hokuto Shinken ( ) is first described as an 1,800 years old (2,000 years in the TV series and 1986 movie) Chinese assassin's art formed during the late Eastern Han Dynasty. In the world of Hokuto no Ken, Hokuto Shinken's origins are said to have been born around the rise of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, but where the Celestial Emperor of China was assassinated, and from this, chaos immediately erupted throughout the land amongst those that desired to rule the new gap of power that once was occupied by the throne. The clan of Hokuto Sōke, seeing China being swept in turmoil and chaos upon the demise of the emperor, desired to find an end to these troubled times, and decided that the birth of a new heir would be needed. The destined heir, Shuken, came to be Hokuto Shinken's founder upon blending his ancestor's art of Hokuto Sōke no Ken and the Yuezhi People's martial art called Seito Gekken. Over time, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms saw Hokuto Shinken undergo a schism; Hokuto Soka Ken served Cao Cao, Hokuto Sonka Ken served Sun Quan, and Hokuto Ryuka Ken served Liu Bei. At the end of this era, it was Hokuto Soka Ken that rose to become the defining martial art of Hokuto Shinken. Prior to the events of Hokuto no Ken in the manga, the successor of Hokuto Shinken was Ryūken, who won the successorship against his rival Kōryū. Ryuken then trained four adopted sons; Raoh, Toki, Jagi and Kenshirō in the art. Kenshiro was chosen by Ryuken to become his successor, although the other brothers still used the style due to Ryuken's death at the hands of Raoh. In the prequel series Souten no Ken, Ryuken (or Ramon Kasumi, as he is called) is revealed to have been the 63rd Grand Master of Hokuto Shinken, preceded by his elder half-brother Kenshirō Kasumi, the 62nd Grand Master. The two brothers learned the style from their father, Tesshin Kasumi, the 61st Grand Master, thereby making the Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star the 64th Grand Master. Description The art's power is focused into channeling one's energy in a single blow and striking into the 708 points in the human body (also known as acupressure points, power points, vital points, tsubo, etc.). These pressure points destroy the enemy from within, and causes the victim to explode, be controlled involuntarily or otherwise incapacitated. It can also be used to heal certain physical and psychological wounds, such as restoring a person's voice, eyesight or memories, though the main purpose of Hokuto Shinken is assassination. While a normal fighter uses 30% of his natural abilities, a Hokuto Shinken successor knows how to utilize his remaining 70% using Tenryū Kokyū Hō (転龍呼吸法 Art of Dragon's Breathing). A Hokuto Shinken successor can also resist attacks on the pressure points with the Hikō Fūji (秘孔封じ, Pressure Point Sealing), copy techniques after witnessing them only once with Suieishin (水映心, Water Reflection Spirit) and also derives power by using or fighting aura to use the human body's full potential, radiating it from their own body as an aura (Tōki no Aura - Fighting Spirit Aura) whilst focusing it for attacks. It can be used to launch ki-based attacks that can be used to strike targets (even tiny ones, like the Keiraku Hiko) at long range, or, to defend the user from attack. However, its true and ultimate strengths is not in power and technique, but in the concepts of love and sadness, to which the practitioner must truly experience to draw the will to fight upon within the art of Hokuto Shinken. Due to its deadliness, Hokuto Shinken follows the Isshi Sōden (一子相伝) tradition: it can only be passed down from one father to one son, and there can only be one successor per generation according to the art's law. Students who fail the successorship must renounce the style voluntarily or risk having their memories erased or their fists crushed. Because of this, there has been great competition over who gets to be the successor. Due to its importance in history, the role of Hokuto Shinken's successor is intertwined not only with the affairs of the governing powers of the land, but also with Taoist astrology and legend. Furthermore, it is also said to be the second guardian of the Celestial Emperor, with its duty bound to protect the innocent, uphold peace, and become the merciless judge and punisher of evil under the skies of the world. Late in the series, it is revealed that the founder of Hokuto Shinken is a man named Shuken of the Hokuto Sōke (北斗宗家) bloodline and the ancestor of Kenshiro and Hyoh. Souten no Ken further develops the origins of Hokuto Shinken, where it is revealed that Hokuto Shinken is a blending of Shuken's original Hokuto Sōke no Ken and the Keiraku Hikō techniques of Seito Gek Ken. Techniques Techniques listed alphabetically. ㊙ = An "Ōgi" (奥義 secret) technique. Practitioners Denshōsha The rightful successors. *01. Shuken *21. Liu Zheng *61. Tesshin Kasumi *62. Kenshiro Kasumi *63. Ryuken *64. Kenshiro Properly Trained Those that were trained but not chosen. *''Kenshin Kasumi'' *Kōryū *Raoh *Toki *Jagi *Kim *Ryū *possible future denshōsha. Improperly Trained Those that were able to learn some Hokuto Shin Ken techniques. *Amiba *Bat *Baran *Sara (Shin HNK) *''Bronza'' *''Dekan'' Fraudlent Practitioners Those that claim knowledge of Hokuto Shin Ken, but probably have no actual knowledge. *''Gaira'' *Gisatsu *Geese ja:北斗神拳 Category:Hokuto no Ken Category:Kenpō